New Zealand nurse with Red Cross kidnapped by Isil in 2013 ‘may still be alive’

A New Zealand nurse who was kidnapped by Isil in Syria six years ago may still be alive, her employer the Red Cross has said, breaking their silence in an attempt to find her.

Louise Akavi, 62, was abducted along with two Syrian colleagues in October 2013 while delivering International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) aid in rebel-held Idlib in the northwest of the country.

The ICRC had requested that Ms Akavi’s case was not made public for fear that it may endanger her.

“We are speaking out today to recognise Louisa’s, Alaa’s and Nabil’s hardship and suffering and to call for any information that could provide more leads into their whereabouts and wellbeing,” said Dominik Stillhart, director of operations for the ICRC, revealing she is the longest-held hostage in the 156-year history.

The organisation had been in intermittent contact with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) jihadists holding her, who were demanding millions of dollars for her release. But communication dried up by late 2014.

Syria’s Alaa Rajab, New Zealand’s Louisa Akavi and Syria’s Nabil Bakdoune were kidnapped more than five years ago (L-R)Credit:
ICRC

American officials have told the New York Times said that Ms Akavi might have been held with a British hostage, the journalist John Cantlie, at Mosul University in Iraq for a while in 2016.

The paper has reported the Red Cross has reason to believe Ms Akavi is alive, because at least two people described seeing her in December at a clinic in Sousa, one of the final villages to be held by Isil jihadists.

There have been other credible sightings in Abu Kamal in 2016, Raqqa in 2017 and Mayadin last year, officials with the aid group said.

Some of the witnesses said they saw her performing medical duties at clinics and hospitals under Isil control.

But the final pocket of Isil’s “caliphate”, in Baghuz, eastern Syria, was captured last month and there has been no news.

The ICRC has been putting up its flag around the camps holding those who fled Isil territory. They fear she may be living among the 70,000 inhabitants but too afraid to identify herself.

Residents of a camp for people who lived under Isil and are now displaced shop at a market area of a camp run by Kurdish authorities in al-Hol, near Hasakeh in SyriaCredit:
Sam Tarling for The Telegraph

New Zealand said it disagreed with making the abduction public but did confirm it had dispatched a special forces unit to Syria to search for Ms Akavi.

Ms Akavi was highly experienced, having carried out 17 missions with the ICRC including in warzones including Somalia, Chechnya, Iraq and Afghanistan. and the New Zealand Red Cross.

A spokesman for Akavi’s family, Tuaine Robati, said she knew the dangers she faced.

“She’s been through tough times in her job before but she’s stuck at it because she loves it,” he said.

“Louisa is an incredibly experienced nurse and aid worker who knew the risks of her job. Our family misses her very much and is concerned for her safety.”

@jas,why do u lie.Inec DID nt approve the direct primary for edo.inec said they deal with national officers of the parties as codified in the constitution. The mode of primary in edo is still at longgerahead. What they are saying is that they take only take decision frm national party offices. The edo apc is still saying no to oshio. Oshio will change his mind and re-write inec if he want primary in edo

Before ko NO going back on Direct primary election in Edo state whether GGO like it or not let Him get set to run

2 hours ago

This waiver problem go disqualify this guy o according to apc constitution. ... See MoreSee Less

About Us

Uromi Voice is a Non-Governmental Organization established to alleviate and ameliorate abhorrent human suffering pervading our communities – with Special Focus on the poor, Voiceless, and Helpless in our midst. Uromi Voice as an entity collaborates with people of goodwill to facilitate advocacy for sustainable change for the uplift and development of our people.